2000
#11,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,431
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Quam
Derived from the Old English word "cwom," meaning a valley or low-lying area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,921 Americans carry the last name Quam. That puts it at #11,763 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,341 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quam surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,341
Census rank
#11,763
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,547 bearers of the surname Quam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11763rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quam, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (9.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quam
The surname Quam is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy, France, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "quam," meaning "marsh" or "swamp," suggesting that the initial bearers of this name may have lived near or owned land in a marshy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Quam surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and their properties compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Quamme," which is likely an early spelling variation.
During the Middle Ages, the Quam family established themselves as landowners and influential figures in various parts of Normandy. Notable individuals from this period include Robert de Quam, a knight who fought in the Third Crusade (1189-1192), and Jehan Quam, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Rouen (born circa 1320).
As the Quam surname spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling changes, such as Quame, Quayme, and Quaim. In England, the name was often anglicized to Qualm or Qualme, as seen in the records of Sir Thomas Qualm, a member of the King's Council during the reign of Henry VI (1422-1461).
During the Renaissance period, the Quam family produced several notable scholars and intellectuals. One such figure was Pierre Quam (1510-1585), a renowned philosopher and mathematician who taught at the University of Paris and authored several influential works on geometry and astronomy.
In the 17th century, the Quam name gained prominence in the Netherlands, where it was often spelled as Quaem or Quaeme. A notable bearer of this surname was Adriaen Quaem (1620-1688), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his detailed still-life compositions and landscapes.
Other notable individuals with the Quam surname throughout history include:
1. Jacques Quam (1745-1815), a French Revolutionary general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.
2. Gustav Quam (1818-1892), a German composer and conductor who worked in St. Petersburg, Russia.
3. Eliza Quam (1861-1934), an American educator and suffragist active in the women's rights movement.
4. Hans Quam (1898-1972), a Norwegian explorer and mountaineer known for his expeditions to Greenland and the Himalayas.
5. Marjorie Quam (1907-1997), a British novelist and short story writer whose works explored themes of social class and gender dynamics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quam
Among Census respondents with the surname Quam, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (9.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Quam bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Quam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 2,150
- American Indian and Alaska Native9.9% · 253
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 60
- Two or more races2.3% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 22
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quam
Quam appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,568
+137 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 329 places
2020
#11,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,547
-21 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 369 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,803 | 2,431 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,132 | 2,568 | 0.87 | +137 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 329 places |
| 2020 | #11,763 | 2,547 | 0.85 | -21 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 369 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Quam surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,132 | #11,763 | 3.0% |
| Count | 2,568 | 2,547 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.85 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quam bearers went from 2,568 to 2,547 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 369 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,132 to #11,763.
FAQ
Quam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quam?
Name Census estimates that about 2,921 living Americans carry the surname Quam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,341 residents.
How common is Quam?
Quam ranks #11,763 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,547 people with the surname Quam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,921), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Quam.
Has Quam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quam went from 2,568 recorded bearers to 2,547. That is a decrease of 21 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,132 to #11,763.
What does the Census say about the background of Quam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quam, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (9.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Quam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (2,150 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (9.9%), Hispanic (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Quam (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Quam mean?
Derived from the Old English word "cwom," meaning a valley or low-lying area. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Quam (0.85 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Quam?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.